When Golden Finger Meets Salted Fish

The benefits of securing a meal ticket soon became apparent.

Yun Qingyu, who had remained mostly silent, saw that the sect leader and the white tiger had reached an agreement. Her heart finally settled, and when she saw the little white tiger choose to stay with her, a hint of joy crept into her heart. She was naturally pleased, not just because she had brought back a divine beast to bolster the sect’s future, but because this little white tiger truly liked her.

Surely a divine beast wouldn’t be as fragile as other spirit beasts, dying from casual care? This little white tiger had been by her side for half a month now and was still lively. It must be fine!

Yun Qingyu’s heart suddenly filled with delight. Her hand, holding the little white tiger, unconsciously stroked its soft fur. The feeling was like finally receiving the doll she had dreamed of in her childhood. She had been longing for this doll for many years, and beyond pure fondness, there was also a subtle yet deep-seated obsession…

Of course, along with her joy, a sense of responsibility welled up in Yun Qingyu.

So before Jiang Mo could remind her, Yun Qingyu took the initiative to tell Qingxiao about the white tiger’s unusual condition. She concluded with her speculation: “Divine Lord Zhiming didn’t notice anything amiss, but I believe the little white tiger’s body is too weak to handle the spiritual energy in the Qingyuan Spirit Essence. That’s why it instinctively chose the more harmless and gentle Nurturing Essence Pills.”

Qingxiao listened carefully to her explanation and nodded, accepting her guess. Although Qingyuan Spirit Essence was considered relatively mild among spirit treasures, the little white tiger’s current state wasn’t even comparable to the Qi Condensation stage. It might indeed be too weak to benefit from such nourishment.

Had Divine Lord Zhiming considered this? If so, why did he still leave the Qingyuan Spirit Essence?

Qingxiao harbored some doubts but didn’t show it. Instead, he generously said, “If Nurturing Essence Pills are effective, surely there are other pills that could work. We can save the Qingyuan Spirit Essence for the future. For now, Qingyu, you should go to Qionghua Peak and see your Uncle Qinglan. See if he has any suitable pills, and feel free to use them for Jianbing.”

This was exactly what Yun Qingyu had been waiting for. Without hesitation or refusal, she accepted the order and bid farewell. She had come to Lingyun Hall today for the little white tiger’s sake, and now that the matter was settled, there was no need to discuss minor details.

Qingxiao indeed didn’t keep her. He watched her leave, smiling when he saw the little white tiger turn back to wave its paw at him.

Jiang Mo liked this generous and handsome meal ticket. As she left, she waved her paw in farewell: “Goodbye, meal ticket. You’re truly a good person. When I level up in the future, I’ll definitely repay you and Xuanqing Sect!”

Of course, Qingxiao might not understand the little white tiger’s words, as her speech still came out as milky “aow” sounds. Only the system heard her declaration. Its light orb flickered and moved in front of her eyes, taking the opportunity to advise: “Host, pill-popping is good, but levels gained this way are hollow. If you want to be Xuanqing Sect’s protector in the future, how can you manage with insufficient combat power? Listen to me, go kill some monsters.”

Having finally found a meal ticket and looking forward to an easy life of good food and drink, why create trouble for herself? Without a second thought, Jiang Mo swatted at the flickering system orb, sending it flying with a paw swipe.

Unfortunately, by this time, Yun Qingyu had already left Lingyun Hall and soared into the sky on her flying sword.

The system baby, as usual, played along with its host’s performance. After being swatted, it stabilized itself after a few rolls, only to find itself dumbfounded. The caretaker carrying the host had flown so far they were just a tiny dot. So it frantically chased after them, calling out: “Host, host, wait for me…”

Jiang Mo, nestled in Yun Qingyu’s arms, poked her little head out from her shoulder, just in time to see the desperately pursuing system orb. Coupled with the system’s pitiful cries, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter, collapsing onto Yun Qingyu’s shoulder. She had seen many systems before—clever ones, rigid ones, ruthless ones, cunning ones… but this one before her was undoubtedly the dumbest!

Sensing its host’s inner joy and relaxation, the system orb flickered almost imperceptibly, then continued its relentless pursuit.

The system was still a baby, how could it have any ill intentions? It was just worried that the host was too guarded against it. Recently, since finding a caretaker, she hadn’t been paying much attention to it. So playing dumb to ease the atmosphere wasn’t a bad idea.

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Qionghua Peak was north of Tianyang Peak. Its peak lord, Venerable Qinglan, was a renowned pill refiner. His collection of pills was the most complete in all of Xuanqing Sect, ensuring the little white tiger would have plenty of choices.

When Yun Qingyu arrived at Qionghua Peak carrying the little white tiger, Qinglan had already received word from the sect leader and was waiting for them.

However, Qinglan was obsessed with pill refining and had little interest in other matters. If not for the divine beast’s importance to the sect, he wouldn’t have bothered with them at all. Now, having made time to see them, he didn’t waste words. He led them directly to his storehouse and, with a sweep of his sleeve, pointed inside: “From first to eighth grade, every pill I can refine is here. Go ahead and choose.”

He spoke casually, but both Yun Qingyu and Jiang Mo were stunned by the storehouse before them. Especially Jiang Mo, whose tiger eyes widened in amazement, looking completely out of her depth.

The storehouse before them was truly vast, probably larger than ten football fields. Besides the already refined pills, it also contained various processed and unprocessed spirit materials. Even so, the shelves of refined pills occupied at least a third of the space, with a dazzling array of pills in countless varieties.

The little white tiger swallowed hard. Her initial excitement about finding food suddenly deflated, and she even felt a bit panicked. With so many types of pills here, surely she wouldn’t have to taste-test them one by one? Who knew what strange things might be among them?!

The system wasn’t connected and couldn’t be relied upon. The little white tiger unconsciously hugged Yun Qingyu’s arm with her paws, seeking support.

Fortunately, Senior Sister was reliable. Looking at the vast pill inventory beyond imagination, she pondered for just a moment before heading straight to the area storing third-grade and below pills. She wandered among the pill shelves for a while before finally selecting a jade bottle. Taking it down, she said to Jiang Mo, “This is the Spirit Nurturing Pill. Would you like to try it?”

The name sounded a bit like the Nurturing Essence Pill. Perhaps it was an upgraded version?

Either way, Jiang Mo was at a loss facing this storehouse full of pills, so she naturally followed Yun Qingyu’s recommendation, nodding her little head. Yun Qingyu then personally took out a Spirit Nurturing Pill and placed it before Jiang Mo.

The little white tiger looked at the pill in that fair palm, but for some reason, her gaze didn’t fall on the Spirit Nurturing Pill itself. Her eyes wandered for a moment, not having time to process her current feelings, before she lowered her head and curled her tongue around the pill, taking it into her mouth.

The next moment, a familiar warmth swept through her body, and the system’s prompts sounded in succession:

“Ding! Congratulations, host. Experience +500.”

“Ding! Congratulations, host. Experience requirements met, level-up conditions achieved. Congratulations on reaching level 10.”

“Ding! Congratulations, host. Level 10 reached, daily quests unlocking…”